New to rockets with a question

[carson]

I've bought a few rockets ready to fly or plastic with a tube.
Now I've bought 3 kits, the balsa fin type.
I really don't know were to start and am looking for info on the most commonly followed steps in building one of these things.
Any suggestions or input would be a great help.

 

[cls]

Hey Carson,

don't hesitate, jump right in! you can't really go too far wrong. assuming you bought an Estes, Quest, Flis, Custom kit: start by following the directions. use yellow glue (Titebond) for balsa, cardboard, paper joints; use plastic glue (Testors) for plastic stuff like nose cones. get a good hobby knife like Xacto with #11 blade. keep a roll of masking tape handy.


something that isn't covered in most directions is "double gluing". that is, put a thin skin of glue on the two surfaces. let it sit for 20 minutes. then, put another thin skin of glue on top of the nearly dry skin - it will get really sticky. then, press the two pieces together and count to 20. voila!


first kit, work on getting the fin alignment right. you can work on sanding, filling, painting, etc. forever but don't bother unless you are a perfectionist.

if you have a digital camera, post some pictures of your progress! and ask more questions on TRF!!

the main thing is to just get started. hope that helps.

 

[DynaSoar]

Originally posted by Carson
I've bought a few rockets ready to fly or plastic with a tube.
Now I've bought 3 kits, the balsa fin type.
I really don't know were to start and am looking for info on the most commonly followed steps in building one of these things.
Any suggestions or input would be a great help.

The obvious answer should be to follow the instructions that came with the kit(s). But since you're asking, it begs the question, did you get kits with instructions?

If not, what kind are they and where are they from? We might be able to come up with what you need. Some instructions would be prety generic, but some instructions, and order of steps, would have to fit the model.

If they did come with instructions, that should be all you'd need. Anything more would be extra tips and tricks.

 

[powderburner]

DynaSoar is right, most kits come with pretty good instructions. If you follow them you will probably have pretty good success.

If you are missing instructions, this forum is a great place to ask if anyone has a copy. If it is an older kit, the instructions may already be posted on JimZ's website.

Another trick to remember is to dry-fit the pieces to make sure you understand how they fit BEFORE you add the glue. It may be obvious, but it still doesn't hurt.

Another: when inserting parts that slide inside/outside other parts (like positioning a thrust-ring inside the rear end of the body tube), once you have applied glue be sure to insert the second piece with one smooth CONTINUOUS motion until it is in final position-----do not stop in the middle of the insertion because the glue will 'grab' hold and you might never get the second part moving again. If this does happen, check in here on TRF and someone will find the 800 number for Estes, and they will probably send you some new parts.

Welcome to TRF!